University of Nairobi Sports tutor Rose Marete has urged institutions of higher learning to invest heavily in sports to help students discover their talent.
Speaking during the UON Sports Day, Marete said institutions that are yet to embrace sports are missing out on a lot and at the same time denying students the opportunity to explore outside the academics.
UON Sports Day featured 15 different sporting disciplines including handball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, athletics, rugby, chess, scrabble, tug of war and football among others.
“Sports is the way to go and institutions that are yet to embrace sports are missing out on a lot. They are also preventing the students from discovering other talents. They also learn the importance of maintaining discipline and hard work,” Marete said.
She added: “The students also get the chance to socialise and interact with others. Sports is one of the best avenues for such.”
She said for the last three years, they have been hosting Sports Day, and have achieved a lot including scholarships and supplying players to national teams like basketball and hockey.
She said Africa 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala, UON alumni, is a product of the same programme and now he is currently shining in athletics.
“This event has seen most of our students benefit from scholarships and also play for national teams like the 3x3 basketball and chess,” she said.
Marete also urged the government and private sector to financially support such events in order to enhance continuity.
“In the near future, I believe such events will be happening more often and will be attracting greater audiences. Making sure this happens requires finances and sometimes we face some constraints. If we get more people to support us, these events will go a long way,” she concluded.
